Row-crop carryall



ROW- CROP GARRYALL Filed May i4, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l l m Nw Y (Il mw \N wm. mw lm AN mw b? mw. J. t. rw WI-III wm mm L7M, mm\ m mm Nm BY M,

MMM M ATTORNEYS 4 Nov. 9, 1948.` H. SPIEGL :a1-Ax, 2,453,348

ROW-CROP CARRYALL 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 14, 1945 N ...www

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ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 9, 1948 ROW-CROP CARRY-AEL Ellis H. Spiegl andRalphr A.- Spiegl, Salinas,/Calif.

Application VMay 14, 1945, SlerialNo '5939740 9 Claims. (01.296-65)` Row-crops such as lettuce, carrots and beetsy have to be thinned :out and weeded. In thepast these operations have 'been carried out by a crewI of farm hands, often unskilled,.ttravelingvup` and down the crop rows .at a pace which theyk themselves set. This pa'ce varies with individuals. and varies from time to time. There is no .uniformity of operation. It is consideredfbenecial to reduce -thefdiscomfort of the work andto establish 'an' optimum frate of work in order .to diminish 'fatigue fand inthe long run to produce' larger crops with the same numbery of hands.

In general, the object of this invention is the provlsion of a row-crop carry all for the purpose of slowly `and uniformly transporting a crew of laborers in a sitting position between and ini-- mediately yabove crop rows so that as the carry -all advances the crop can easily and consistently be subjected to any desired operation such as thinning or weeding. l

More specifically, the object of this invention is the provision of a drawn or self Apropelled ve'- hicle having seat'racks extensive enough to overlie several rows of crops and provided with means for disposing the projecting rack end vor ends in a position so as to `comply with road 'clearance regulations.

'The invention possesses other advantageous features, soine of which lwith the foregoing will be set forth at length in the following description where that; form of' the invention,- which has' been vselected for illustration in the ydrawings accompanying and forming a part of the 'present specification, is outlined in full. In `said drawings, one form ofthe invention is shown, .but it is to be understood that it is not limited to such form, since the invention, as set forth 'inthe claims, may he embodied in a plurality of forms,

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of -a self-'propelled vehicle embodying the invention shown in its: operative ,position straddling a double row of small plants.

Fig. 2 a front end elevation of the vehicle illustrate'din Fig. 1 but shown (contrary to actual iield operating practice) with its left seat rack section vin its elevated inoperative .or road transport position and with its right yseat. rack section in its operative horizontal positionr Fig. 3 is a Itop plan viewof theright half of the front seat rack.

Figui is a top plan view of ythe right halfoi the rear seat rack which in con-junction with Fig..3 shows the .staggered relation :of .the yseats t in the fron-t rack with respect vto the seats of .the

rear rack.

vAs s-hownin these figures, the objects are attained. and this invention is embodied in a pneu.-w

. matic tired carry all yfl, which includes achassis 2 and-a motori?.

Fasten'ed -to the front end of the 'chassis 2 as by' Welding is a pair of transversely spaced, forwardly extending yI beams f4 servingl as seat' rack carriers. Similarly, there is welded to the rear end of the chassis 2 a pair of rearwardly extending, 4transversely spaced I beams 45. Welded to eachof the beams 4 and 5 is-aqpa-ir'- of llong-itudina'll'y spaced, laterally extending; perforated bracketsl 6. Extending through the bracket 5 is a bolt 1 on the upper end of which is threaded a-nut 8 Aseated on the upper-face of theV bracket. Fasten-ed tov the .nut 8.is azcrank, 9. Suspended onfeafch .pair of transversely alignedbolts 'I isV `abearn II of .fa length substantially equal tothe overall -width of the carry all. rIhe beams `:Il are rigidly ysecured to vtheir associated bolts :by nuts 'threaded thereon which also serve toprevent the bolts :from rotating. Each bracket 6 an-dfits .associated bolt 1, nut 8 and crank 9 therefor forms a jack screw Aby `whit-inthe eleva,- tionf'of'the: transverse lbeams lvl can be adjusted as desired. Thetwoiparafllel: beams Hj, depend ing' fromvthe forwardly extending beams `4, are secured together by .a number of transversely spaced, longitudinally extending tie rodsl2 and, in like manner, (the two parallel beams ildepending from the rearwardly extending 4beams 5i are secured together by a number of tie rods i3. These yform main seat racks.

y' i-tinged to 4each end of each of the beams Il: by pin hl is albearn @5g/eachl pair `ofliearns |15 being secured' together Vby va `'number of trans-- versei'f/ spaced, longitudinal-ly extending tie rods i6. These form extension 4seat racks. Pljxtend-` ing :across 'each zpair loi. beams lll and eachpair of 'beams .[5 .and :secured thereto is aip'luitality of transversely spaced fabric seats il. From an inspection .of Figs. 3 ande it istobe noted :that the forward-edge of each of the fabric iseats'jl'l .is formed' Wirth-:a slight inward curve, All of the seatson the front Kseat racks, :as shown in Figure 3, face outwardly, say to the left ofv the vehicle driven `whereas all of the seats ofthe rear seat rack, as shown in Figure 4, face inwardly, Say to therightoi the vehicle driver. Each of the vseat racks is symmetrical about its own longitudinal center line transversely of the vehicle. The seats on the front seatl rack are :staggered .with respecttotheseats on ythe rear y.seat

rack as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The reason for this is that the carry all is designed for operation over double rows of plants. The farm hand sitting on a seat of the front seat rack faces one row of a double row of plants, whereas the laborer sitting on the related seat of the rear seat rack faces the other row of the same double row of plants.

Pivoted to each of the beams- II and lI between the seatsA I1 are L-shaped stirrups I8 for the accommodation of the feet of the operators sitting in seats I 1. Pinned to each of the stirrups I 8 depending from each of the lateral beams I5 is a tie rod I9, the inner end of which is pivoted to a strap 2| rigidly secured as by welding to the end of its associated beam I l. When each extension seat rack including the beams I5 `is swung upwardly, as shown in the left end of Figure 2, so as to decrease the overall width of the machine and thereby comply with road clearance regulations the stirrups I3 will fold downwardly toward the beams I5 about each of their pivotal points. Also mounted on each of the beams I I of the main seat rack between its seats l1 are opposed stirrups I8a.

Welded to the outer end of each of the. vlateral or extension seat racks is an upstanding frame 23 including a transverse channel 24. Mounted intermediate of the ends of each of the cross channels 24 is a screw 25, one end of which terminates in an eye 26.

Fastened to the forward and rearward ends of the chassis 2 are columns 21 braced by members 28. Fastened to and extending between the upper ends of the columns 21 is a longitudinally extending beam 29. These structural parts constitute a superstructure. Welded to the outer faces of the upper ends of each of the columns 21 is a bracket 3I and mounted on each of the brackets 3l is a bearing 32. Mounted on the beam 29 is a plurality of bearings 33 coaxial with the bearingsy 32. Journaled in the bearings 32 and 33 is a shaft 34, on the outer ends of which are fastened drums 35. Wound around each of the drums 35 is a cable 36, the outer end of which is fastened through the eye 26 of the left hand screw 25, as viewed in Fig. 2, and a cable 31 fastened at its outer end to the eye 26 of the end of the shaft 39 is a sprocket wheel 42 in vertical alignment with a sprocket wheel 43 mounted on the shaft 34. Extending around the sprocket wheels 42 and 43 is a drive chain 44 by means of which the rotation of the shaft 39 is transmitted to the shaft 34.

' Keyed in bearings 45 mounted on the chassis 2 for longitudinal movement therein is a shaft 43. Keyed to the shaft 46 is a gear wheel 41 longitudinally movable into mesh with a gearv 48 keyed to the shaft 33. The forward end of the shaft 46 is pinned to an operating lever 43 which, in turn, is pivoted intermediate its ends to a bracket 5I secured to the chassis 2. Upon actuation of the lever 49, the shaft 46 is moved longitudinally to engage -its associated gear wheel 41 with the gear wheel 48. Since the gear wheel- 41 is xed against rotary movement, the

meshing of the teeth of this gear with the teeth v of the gear 48 serves toflock the shaft 39 and, in turn, the shaft 34 in any predetermined position.

Mounted on the shaft 34 intermediate its ends is a brake drum 52 surrounded by a brake band 53. Mounted on the chassis 2 adjacent the operators station is a lever 54 connected with the brake band 53 by a cable 55, Upon actuation of the lever 54, the rotation ofl the shaft 34 and its associated drums 35 is controlled at will for the purpose of slowly dropping the lateral or extenthat the lateral sections can move downwardly It has been found that by the use of the carry all above described a crew of farm hands can cover a given acreage in a fraction of the time that would otherwise be required and this can be done without in any way unduly crowding the farm hands. l

As shown in Fig. 2, the carry all is designed to straddle two double rows lof plants. By providing eight seats on each of the front and rear racks, a crew of sixteen men can be conveyed down eight double rows. y n

Weclaim: A- f l. A carry all of the ycharacter described comprising: a chassis; front and` `rear seatrracks transversely mounted on said chassis, each of said racks including a main section arranged-,to assume a horizontal position and a lateral section arranged to assume either a horizontal yposition 0r a substantially vertical position; and transversely spaced seats mounted on said front and rear racks, the seats of said front rack being staggered with respect to the seats of said rear rack. v

2. A carry all of the character described comprising: a chassis; a sectionalized seat rack transversely mounted on said chassis, said rack having a central section and lateral sections pivoted thereto; transversely spaced seats mounted on said central and lateral seat rack sections; pendant stirrups mounted on said sections intermediate said seats; means for swinging said lateral sections upwardly intoa substantially vertical position and means for swinging the stirrups associated with said lateral sections simultaneously to a substantially vertical position.

3. A carry all of the character described comprising: a chassis; .a seat rack transversely mounted on said chassis, said seat rack having a central horizontal section and lateral sections pivoted thereto; an overhead, longitudinally extending shaft mounted on said chassis; a drum mounted on said shaft; a cable fastened to the' outer end of each of said lateral rack seat sections and wound around said drum, and power meansl carried by said chassis for rotating said shaft.

4. A carry all of the character described comprising: a chassis; front and rear seat racks transversely mounted on said chassis, each of said seat racks including a central horizontal section and a pair of opposed lateral sections arranged for movement into a substantially vertical position; means for holding said .lateral sections in either a horizontal position coplanar withv said central sections or in a substantially vertical position; and transversely spaced seats mounted on both the front and rear seat racks, the seats of the front rack being staggered with respect to the seats of the rear` rack.

5. A device of the character described comprising a chassis adapted to travel lengthwise along rows of produce, a main seat rack mounted on and extending transversely across said chassis, an extension seat rack articulated on said main seat rack, and means interconnecting said chassis and said extension seat rack for supporting said extension seat rack in a selected vertical position with respect to said chassis.

6. A carry all comprising a chassis adapted to travel lengthwise along rows of produce, a main seat rack mounted on and extending transversely across said chassis, an extension seat rack articulated on said main seat rack for movement between a horizontal and a vertical position with respect to said chassis, and means for holding said extension seat rack against such movement.

7. A carry all of the character described comprising a chassis adapted to travel lengthwise along rows of produce, a main seat rack mounted on and extending transversely across said chassis, an extension seat rack articulated on said main seat rack for movement between a horizontal and a vertical position with respect to said chassis, a superstructure upstanding from said chassis, a cable extending between said superstructure and said extension seat rack, and means for varying the length of said cable to move said extension seat rack.

8. A carry all of the character described cornprising a chassis adapted to travel lengthwise along rows of produce, a main seat rack including parallel transversely extending bars spaced apart longitudinally mounted on and extending across one end of said chassis, and longitudinally extending seats connected to and spanning the space between said bars, said seats themselves being spaced apart transversely to leave rows of produce accessible therebetween.

9. A carry all of the character described comprising a chassis adapted to travel lengthwise along rows of produce, a superstructure on said chassis, a main seat rack including a transversely extending member mounted on and extending across one end of said chassis, an extension seat rack articulated on and extending transversely from said main seat rack, longitudinally extending seats on said main seat rack and said extension seat rack, and means tensioned between said superstructure and said extension seat rack for supporting said extension seat rack.

ELLIS H. SPIEGL. RALPH A. SPIEGL.

REFERENCES CTED The following references are of record in the file oi' this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 890,558 Dameron June 9, 1908 1,089,603 Thomas Mar. 10, 1914 1,154,763 Gunderson Sept. 28, 1915 1,203,453 Armitage Oct. 31, 1916 1,370,347 Nelson Mar. 1, 1921 1,400,802 Colgate Dec. 20, 1921 1,504,846 Tarkington Aug. 12, 1924 1,748,745 Zuckerman Feb. 25, 1930 1,756,803 Williams Apr. 29, 1930 2,337,615 McLaren Dec. 28, 1943 2,378,143 Jensen June 12, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 286,158 Germany July 27, 1915 527,899 Germany June 22, 1931 

